HOUSTON — On the Texans' official roster, Arian Foster's listed hometown is San Diego. But he grew up in Albuquerque, N.M., 200 miles from Roswell, the site of alleged UFO findings and subsequent conspiracies.

Maybe, perhaps through relative proximity, Foster witnessed something strange during his formative years, something that might help explain his response Wednesday when asked if he'd be in the starting lineup Sunday against Pittsburgh at Reliant Stadium.

He said that was the plan, but he couldn't be certain. After all, he reasoned, what if the unexpected should occur?

“If I get kidnapped or something — you never know,” Foster said.

Obviously, the layoff from an injured hamstring didn't affect the star running back's sense of humor.

Noting Wednesday that he hasn't played much this season, only sparingly in Week 2 against Miami, Foster has been cleared to resume his role as the Texans' No. 1 back. He will assume his seat that was kept warm by second-year back Ben Tate, who will now serve as Foster's backup.

Don't expect Foster to be limited. He declared his left hamstring, which was twice strained or aggravated, no longer an issue, aided by sitting out last week's 40-33 loss in New Orleans.

“I could've played last week, but they just wanted to reassure that it wasn't going to be recurring, and that's where it is,” Foster said.

Given the Texans' much-discussed woes in the red zone — Foster didn't feel compelled to expound Wednesday on what his impact might have been, insisting it was a collective effort and preferring to look ahead — he'll be a welcome addition.

“He's a hell of a player,” Kubiak said about Foster. “We've been missing him. Ben has done a hell of a job, too, (but Foster) is a key player on this team that we've almost played a month without.”